I have added a clarification above re Oath of Offerings. 

In addition, I am modifying the Bonus Feats and Bonus Talents oath boons. You may only take these boons once, but may now spend up to five oath points on each boon. The number of bonus feats or talents you gain is now as follows:

You may have more feats or talents now! (or may obtain them by juggling some oath points) I was realizing the options weren't great at the outset for these boons at this level, and knowing the nature of PbP, it's really nice to get some options at character creation. If it helps anyone's decision on anything, the content I have planned should take your characters through level 10-12. If things are still going well and players are still engaged at that point, there will be plenty of room to simply keep going and finding new adventures, and keep advancing as long as everyone has attention for the game.

16 hours ago, Arklytte said:

So, I have two thoughts on this whole Oath Against Harm thing.

 

As you changed it, 2 points with a clear demarcation between Human/Humanoid and 'Everything Else', is perfectly functional, and is something I can easily roleplay, without too much fuss.

 

If we were to do Sentient and Non-Sentient, that, as you said, makes things more complicated.  For known/knowable quantities, it's easy...Doc is half Scholar, has a stupid amount of Skill Points (8 base +6 INT = 84 points 😄), and access to all Knowledge Skills.  Combined with Scout (which he'll have), he'll be able to identify most things on sight. It'll only be true unknowns that will be the major issue.  The other issue is that it has the potential to impact the rest of the group.  Because, while Doc wont be a bleeding heart type (we are in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, after all :D), his convictions and personal moral code are as hard as steel.  And if the party runs into something unknown, and it even hints at being sentient, he's going to make a big deal about making sure it is, or isn't, before just blowing it away.  And if it is sentient, unless it proves to be truly, inherently evil, he's still going to push back against the rest if they want to just kill it.  He wont actually fight the crew, of course, but it has the potential to make for a real plot complication.  As such, I'd request that this option be raised to 3 points.  It's still not as restrictive as 'no damage to ANY living thing', but it's more restrictive than Human/Everything else, and comes with an inherent complication point with the rest of the party, one that could have real consequences to not just Doc.

 

If you're ok with that change, I'd like to switch to Sentient/Non-Sentient.  If not, we'll stick with Human/Non-Human.  🙂

Okay, we can set it to 3 and have it be a prohibition against harming sentient (or maybe sapient or conscious is a better word. I went down a bit of a rabbit hole seeking a good clear definition 🙂. But I think we both understand what we mean by sentient) living things. We're going to have to define it, which I'll go ahead and do as a creature with an intelligence score of 5 or more. So that will include animal intelligences, but also encompass some set of what would fall under other monster types like magical beast, aberration, etc. as things you are allowed to harm. It will indeed eliminate a decent amount of creatures from those you may harm. If it isn't otherwise obvious to you, the int score of a creature is something you can request as one of your pieces of information from a successful knowledge check. For more rare creatures, I may require succeeding by a certain amount in order to determine it. And of course, as I approved for another player, there is Detect Surface Thoughts.  

17 hours ago, Arklytte said:

Also, on the subject of Oaths. I also took Oath of Humility (no titles, no land, no subordinates/summons/animal companions).  Given the nature of the game, I was thinking that 'Cant take up the Commander slot on the Crew' would be an appropriate addendum as well.  If you agree, do you think that would make it worth 2 points, rather than 1, since that completely bars him from 1 of the 5 available positions?

 

Also, also, and this is just pure curiosity, why did you knock Oath of Offerings clear down to 2?  I mean, I know it's a lesser complication now, since we get free Oath Points, but it's still a fairly major limitation.  Losing out not only half your initial 'gold', but also half the in game loot, plus having to figure out a way to unload that loot constantly.  Given the nature of the game, we probably wont realistically be able to send it to a single organization/location (unless some group like the Tinker Express Kinghts of Fordlove that name, BTW...I'm picturing a bunch of guys in Fallout style power armour, riding through the desert in tricked out Ford F350's with miniguns mounted on the top of the cabs and big spiked cow-catchers on the reinforced bumpers...all while 'Ride of the Valkyries' plays over massive loudspeakers. 😄 Sometimes my brain goes to WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEIRD places)) offers some kind of secure way to transport materials or wealth.  I had intended on Doc basically giving it away to the needy as we traveled, either on an individual basis (ie giving some poor family of farmers we come across a few scavenged bits of equipment or whatever), or to an orphanage or church if we come across a town.

 

Anyway...again, just my brain going to weird places, and I was curious.  🙂

I'm going to say no on the Oath of Humility question. While sitting in the commander spot is at least a temporary position of leadership, it is different than having subordinates or titles. More of a team lead type thing than controlling people. The whole team still has an equal say in things overall. Some characters will rarely or never occupy certain spots anyway due to their character set up.

As to Oath of Offerings, a few reasons (besides that's what CJ used in the game I took it from 😉) : For one, there are no magic items, and in a more traditional game magic items make up a decent chunk of your advancement. With the free oath points given out, and with the potential advancement of magic items much less of a factor, the oath isn't worth as much. Further, the restrictions on the oath are changed. It no longer specifies you may only possess half your expected WBL at all times, simply that you must give away half of your earnings. That means you can still accumulate a bunch of value in items if you save up, and end up with significantly more than half of your WBL. It's actually a much looser restriction in that sense. As to the point about needing to send it to a specific recipient, you're helping me realize I need to make a clarification on the Oath — it's in my head but taking a second look at what I wrote on the guidelines, it definitely isn't there. I intend for you to be able to simply donate/give away half your wealth, but it doesn't need to be to a specific cause. So you can give it away to any needy community or wastelander you happen across on your journeys. That should make it easier to pull off, I want the burden to be not having as much material wealth, but not needing to figure out safe ways to wire-transfer barter goods 🙂 

(Gonna go make that clarification of the rules now)

2 hours ago, dalamb said:

How long do we have to finish our apps? I got distracted a few days ago with reviving my own 3.5e campaign(s) and have neglected Tanya, but I plan to switch back tomorrow.

I'll make a decision on that today. Good chance I'll change June 6 to a new application deadline, and give another week to finish and submit.

1 hour ago, PigLickJF said:

Unorthodox Firing from Equipment allows you to fire a 2-handed ranged weapon with one hand at a -2 penalty (and also allows you to fire a ranged weapon from prone, which probably doesn't apply to firearms anyway, although I don't recall if the rules actually say you can do this). Not trying to contradict your ruling here, just pointing it out since you mentioned not being aware of anything (though as written the talent doesn't actually reduce the penalty, it just gives a flat -2).

Yeah, this talent seems a little more oriented around allowing you to fire bows while prone, and also fire ranged weapons with a foot. Makes sense with a bow (a little), and not really any sense with a gun 🙂  So it's not about firing one-handed, rather 1 hand + 1 foot, and wouldn't otherwise affect trying to fire a longarm one-handed.

On 5/28/2022 at 5:06 AM, Steel Warrior said:

@Paxon
So.. I am looking at the following Talents

Tech Sphere (When you first gain the Tech sphere, you may learn any one (gadget) talent you qualify for.)

Internal Tool (Free)(accessory, augment, drone, gadget)

Load Bearer (Augment, Drone, Gadget)

When activated with 1 or more charges, the creature is treated as if they were one size category larger for the purposes of their carrying capacity and the size of weapons they may wield. This increases to two size categories larger at 7 ranks in Craft (mechanical), and to three size categories at 14 ranks in Craft (mechanical). Unless otherwise stated, this does not stack with other abilities that increase the maximum size of weapons you may wield, but does stack with other effects that increase effective carrying capacity. The load bearer occupies the body slot and uses up 1 charge per minute of use. Failing a Reflex save against Remote Control makes you staggered for 1 round.

Strength of a Million and Seventy

Prerequisites: Craft (mechanical) 5 ranks, Tech sphere (Load Bearer).

Load bearer augments that you create also add five times your ranks in Craft (mechanical) to your Strength score for the purposes of their carrying capacity and increase your effective size category by one more for the purposes of calculating your carrying capacity (this is in addition to the regular benefits of the Load Bearer talent).

I am not sure exactly how I should make this work. I think it would be good if I had it as an internal tool or gadget.

 
So my calculations.

Charge Pool: 7, for 7 minutes of use.

Craft Mechanical Ranks 7 (Treated as 2 sizes larger)

Strength 22
Strength of a Million and Seventy (Ranks (7x5) + 22 strength: 57 Strength) for the purpose of carrying capacity, and it now treats me as size Gargantuan.

Load: Light: 177,152 lbs (53 tons) Med: 354,816 lbs (160.9 tons) Max: 532,480 lbs (241.5 tons)

Overhead:    532,480 lbs (241.5 tons)
Off-Ground: 1,064,960 lbs (483 tons)

Push/Drag:  2,662,400 lbs (1207.6 tons)

So, can I effectively flip a tank?  😈
I just want to make sure I am taking the correct talents to achieve this.

I am also picturing this. We could have an extra panel on the tank that can be detached and used as a shield that I can use to shield my party members if they are outside of the tank. It would be like a Gargantuan Tower Shield.
 

I haven't checked the all the math yet, but one thing I see is that you seem to be treating your ranks in Craft (mechanical) as 7, where you should have no more than 6 right now as a 6th level character. That will both change your calculations (a little) but also make the big increase at 7 ranks not active yet (not at the outset at least). 

As to Strength of a Million and Seventy, I know your char is a cyborg and all, but that kind of lifting power is getting a little outlandish for this campaign. I mean, that's not just flipping a tank, it would be hefting one and lugging it around as a medium load. I'm usually a big fan of feats of strength in games, but I think you can still accomplish some impressive stuff with just Load Bearer, especially when you hit level 7. Load Bearer fine, Strength of 1000070 not approved for this game.

Ha, Rancer is awesome! Though the included animal companions are a bit supernatural. They could be a bit reflavored, but that is pretty much what's happening anyway with our animal-as-construct conversion.

Anyway, as to having guns replace natural attacks, I'm going to say no. They should stay mostly mechanically similar to animals, even though we're re-fluffing them as machines. I'm not entirely saying no to having guns built onto or able to be attached to them, but they'll have to be fired by you still, or you'll have to find a tech sphere solution to have them fire remotely. Giving guns to animal companions is a little too much 🙂

I also wouldn't stop you from re-fluffing a natural attack to be gun-like, i.e. I could see the "bite" attack being a melee-range shotgun blast or something like that. It just needs to stay mechanically the same as a natural attack.

On 5/29/2022 at 10:11 AM, Djacob91 said:

@Paxon I do believe that Martin here is ready to be submitted. Although, quick question, I have given him a few crafting abilities, is it likely that we will have some downtime from time to time for that, or would it be better to grab something different? 

Sounds good, looks good, I'm adding a "submitted" tag, and will fully review with the others. Feel free to continue to make tweaks up to the point I announce submitted applications are under review.

As to crafting, yes I expect the will be downtime for crafting. I can rarely make a 100% guarantee as it depends on how the party approaches the game and decides how long to stay or not in certain locations. But at the very least I expect there to be days of travel that are "fast-forwarded" through, during which you will be able to accumulate crafting hours. I do intend to support both personal crafting and time to modify the tank.

On 5/29/2022 at 7:34 PM, Arklytte said:

I was thinking...could we change the Oath to 'any sentient'?  That way he can attack things like Infected without restrictions, but if they ran up against some odd (but sentient) mutated animal or alien monster, his Oath would compel him to take them nonlethally.  I think it fits the spirit of the Hippocratic Oath better.

I would be okay with that. In fact I considered that, but went with the more simple and clear option. The reason being, it will mean you need to be able to somehow determine/judge sentience in something more monstrous, which will take a little back and forth and perhaps some degree of judgement call. May have to observe an unknown monster for a while to determine sentience. We can do that though. For the record, I intend to treat "infected" exactly like undead, which is to say they aren't living anymore and thus not subject to your oath. Standard knowledge of the infection is that it is incurable, those who are completely overcome by the infection retain no more semblance of self nor personality traits of who they were before, and considered by almost everyone to be already dead. Just the infection controlling their body now. Let me know if you want to make the change or keep it as humanoids/monstrous humanoids.

On 5/29/2022 at 10:19 AM, Demented said:

You know how crossbows can be fired 1-handed at a penalty?  Can we get something similar for longarms?

 

There's a lot of neat rider effects out there for sunder builds, but a lot of them hinge on giving things the broken condition.  Unfortunately, it's looking like I'll be doing enough damage to take most objects from full to 0 in one hit.  Does destroying an object count as giving it the broken condition?  0 is less than half, after all.

One-Handed: Yeah, I'll say you can shoot firearms in a similar manner. The penalty is -2 for light crossbows and -4 for heavy crossbows. Similarly, it will be -2 for SMGs, and -4 for any other 2h firearm. If there are feats that reduce these penalties for crossbows (I don't know of them but they might exist), there can also be a version of them for firearms.

Sunder: I would count destroying an object as given it the broken condition for abilities that are triggered off that, yes.

On 5/29/2022 at 11:38 AM, Niblooey said:

We're using Block Initiative, right? Does that mean effects that boost your Initiative modifier aren't useful here?

Yes on block initiative. However, given that certain concessions need to be made around PbP format, I like to handle things like this:

Players roll initiative and I roll for NPCs. I'll use Fast NPCs (those that beat all players initiative) and Slow NPCs (the rest), which will all end up grouped in the same initiative block after the players turn. If PCs win the initiative, all players act first in whatever order you are able to post real-time. However, I reserve the right to insert an individual NPC's action into the turn order if that NPC's initiative exceeds players remaining who haven't acted yet. So in that sense, it will matter. If you roll poorly on initiative and take a bit to get your combat action post up, you might have a high-initiative NPC act in front of you. If you are willing to risk that, you can be lax with your initiative score. *Yes, this can be gamed by the players if the high initiative PC simply waits until last to post. I'm going honor system with this, and if I see it happening I'll change things up.

On 5/29/2022 at 7:01 PM, PlotDevice said:

Hi, just found this game and hoping I can get an app done in time.

 

Paxon, have you given consideration to favored enemies (ranger)?  Obviously a bunch of categories just don't make sense; but how do the new beings fit into that system?

Hope you get an app in too! If I have someone who needs to select for favored enemies, I'll make sure to put a list together that properly accounts for the creatures in this setting. Plenty from the list aren't in this world. Others will be kind of an approximation of a type there already is. A sufficiently mutated mutant would be a monstrous humanoid. And yeah, I have magical beast as a category that would not actually be magical, but that might reflect a mutated animal with extraordinary abilities that kind of matches up with something from the bestiary which is classified a magical beast. Go ahead and pick ranger and for now do your best to pick an appropriate favored enemy. I'll make sure a list is available before we begin that matches up types, and you'd have time and opportunity to tweak your character accordingly. 

On 5/30/2022 at 3:07 AM, Arklytte said:

Can we use Enhanced Armaments/Defenses to add Weapon/Armour/Shield qualities to our equipment?  Or are they limited to Enhancement bonuses to hit/damage only?

You may use the bonus to add qualities that are available in the expanded masterwork section, but not from the broader magic weapons/armor quality list. If there is one not on my list that you feel like really really should make sense for the setting, I'm willing to consider.

12 hours ago, Steel Warrior said:

I wanted to clarify the Technician Tank Crew section shows the various talents. Wanted to confirm if they are independent of our character build.
Like a Tristalt in a sense, only when the player is part of the Tank Crew etc?

Yes, independent of your build. When you are operating the tank, they are available to you in a little bit of a tristalt sense. 

So if you are firing the tank main gun, you may use the sniper sphere talents from the crew; when you are diving it, you may use the brute sphere talents listed. If you want to take a shot with your character's personal weapon, you'll need to posses your own instance of the sniper sphere and the talent you wish to use in order to use it. However, you can apply your own character talents to the operation of the tank, if they are appropriate (some certainly won't be). So if you have other talents within the sniper sphere on your character, you can use them for firing the main gun. 

Speaking of all this, I had meant to add a martial sphere drawback wherein you can only use the sphere with the tank, which would enable you to spend some talents on very tank-specific uses. Not sure if a very popular option, but I'll try and add that today. 🙂 

On 5/28/2022 at 10:40 AM, PigLickJF said:

On the Firearms weapon tables, only one damage rating is listed. Does firearm damage scale up/down with size as normal weapons?

Okay, so in a way I didn't expect to deal with this (silly me, as if I've never dealt with enterprising players before), since this world doesn't have whole races of small-sized creatures running around, I wasn't really going to consider small sized firearms scaling differently, and even if they did in many cases damage output would remain similar. I also didn't really think PCs would end up being large, but I left a window open for that, so of course I need to account for that. Or at least using large size weapons. I think scaling up a gun to large actually would have an appreciable difference in damage output. So we'll go ahead and say yet, firearm damage scales up normally as it goes up in size, as does cost. Also, you need large ammunition to fit large firearms, and you also need to pay 2x the cost of of that. It should be noted that large humanoids are extremely rare, even given mutations. As such, large weapons are very rare as is large ammo. You can make a case a large LMG is actually another type of machine gun meant to be mounted on a vehicle your character simply holds, and there is higher caliber ammo available somewhere for said weapon. But in most cases a large firearm will be a completely custom job, and large ammo will need to be hand crafted. You won't be looting a lot of it, nor will tinkers and traders be making a lot of it.

On 5/29/2022 at 12:05 AM, Arklytte said:

Firearm question: Would it be possible to add Bean Bag rounds for shotguns to the list of available ammo?  They're considered 'less lethal', just like Rubber Bullets, but they tend to do less direct trauma, and are designed to 'cause muscle spasms which render the target momentarily immobile'.

 

My thinking is that they would look something like this:

 

Beanbag Rounds (aka Flexible Baton rounds): Beanbag rounds consists of a small fabric "pillow" filled with #9 lead shot weighing about 40 grams.  They are intended to be a non-lethal or more specifically a less lethal alternative to metal projectiles, similar to rubber bullets.  Beanbags, however, are specifically intended to stun their target by causing intense and painful muscle spasms at the point of impact, that render the target momentarily immobile.  Targets hit by a beanbag round are Stunned for 1d3-1 rounds.  On a successful FORT save, they are instead Staggered.

 

Beanbag rounds count as Slugs for damage/attack purposes (20/x4 on a crit, Touch AC for the first range increment), but all damage is nonlethal.  They can be used to do lethal damage, at the normal -4 penalty.  Additionally they have a max range of 2 range increments.  Any target struck in the 2nd range increment by a beanbag ONLY takes the nonlethal damage and is not subject to the Stun/Stagger effect.

 

Cost/rarity would probably be commensurate with rubber bullets.

 

I pretty much just took that right off the Wiki page for beanbag rounds.  Their max effective range really is only about 20-ish feet, with them being completely useless beyond about 60, as well as the fact that they specifically render the target "momentarily immobile".  And they can do lethal damage (especially if you aim for the sternum, face, or throat), but anyone trained in their use always goes for the extremities, thus them defaulting to nonlethal and getting the penalty for lethal.

 

So, they're a fairly powerful option (with their stun/stagger effect), but you have to be right on top of your target to use them effectively.  And since guns are a thing in this setting, getting up close and personal is going to be challenging, to say the least.

 

What do you think Pax?

 

PS: If you're amenable to this, what about other specialty shotgun rounds? There are a bunchaton of fun shotty rounds that exist IRL, and many would be pretty reasonable to have in this setting.  I'd be happy to look them up/rulify them.  😄

And yes, my plan is to have Doc specialize in shotguns. The pic I found for him is literally holding a smoking shotgun, so I just had to run with it.  🙂

I'm going to have to think about this one a bit and look at some numbers and options. Stun is a powerful effect to have on an ammunition you can simply buy. Your suggested low range is pretty reasonable, but I might have to add another limiter like it needs to be a called shot to an appropriate extremity or trigger of a crit. Put a pin in this, maybe set aside some equipment funds for specialty shotgun rounds (I like the idea overall), and I'm going to come back to it.

Hope those that had one enjoyed their long weekend! I'm back in action today and will slowly but surely working my way through replies to outstanding questions.

On 5/30/2022 at 5:55 AM, Steel Warrior said:

Found Crab Tanks 😉
https://imgur.com/gallery/kMhGOOp

Nice! In my searches for post-apocalyptic style tank art, I happened upon a crab tank or two myself. That is quite a trove of them though. Also it would definitely be a modification option (down the line) to add some sort of mechanical grasping appendage to the tank. Even a claw-like one, were the crew so inclined.

Quick note: I know there are several outstanding questions on the Q&A and on character threads. I'm usually a little slower to respond on weekends and this one is no exception. I'll get responses to everyone in the next couple days. Hope everyone is having a good weekend so far and keep those characters developing!

5 minutes ago, Demented said:

Two more questions.

 

1:  We're using combat stamina, but the page says it can be integrated several ways, ranging from "everybody gets it" to "buy in with a feat".  So what's the exact level of investment you need to be able to use it?

 

2:  Do grenades count as ammo or weapons for the purposes of masterwork enhancement?

1. You do need to pick up the Combat Stamina feat in order to use combat stamina

2. I'm going to have grenades (even hand grenades) count as ammo for masterwork, but I'm likely going to waive the necessity of buying 10 at a time for them. I'm going to need to take another look at this aspect this weekend and come back around for a more definitive answer, but that's what I'm thinking.

2 hours ago, Steel Warrior said:

@Paxon

Although it's still a WIP, any issues with what I have currently setup?
I did use the extra origin feat to make him more like a construct/cyborg themed.

In regards to the two extra oath's I have chosen, if they don't fit the theme or do not suggest against them, let me know.

Thanks!

Oh, and I was going to ask this and I forgot. Since I took the Tattooed Warrior Martial Tradition, granting dragon/zodiac tattoos via martial tradition (refluffed it as more cybernetic tattoos instead of runes) it allows me to enchant my body, but in the case the fact my character is partially made of metal/flesh, I was going to see if it was ok if I added bonuses from the Masterwork Equipment rules to my own body.
Paying Homage to the 3.5 Warforged on how they can enchant their actual bodies.

Dragon's Tattoo lets me enchant my limbs, unarmed strikes etc as Masterwork Weapons and I can enchant them.
If I chose to take the something from the Masterwork Equipment section
Does that mean my unarmed strikes are already +1 in value?
If I wanted to add Serrated +1, would I pay the 300 gp value, since I am already considered masterwork, or the cost of Grand Master (1200 - 300 Gp) 900 Gp.

As for Armor bonus. Zodiac Tattoos, it says I treat my skin as +1 leather armor
Do I get the Materwork bonus and pay only 150g, or (600-150) 450 Gp to add Anti-ballistic (+1)

I did take: 1pt: Enhanced Defenses (Ex) +1 Armor Bonus, but not the Enhanced Armaments.

Sounds good. Initial glance I'm not spotting anything amiss, but I'll take a more detailed look later.

As to the Dragon/Zodiak tattoos, yes go ahead and treat them as if you had already paid 300/150 for the first masterwork level, and you can enhance them beyond that as per the expanded masterwork rules. 900 gp for Grand Master weapon, 450 GP for Grand Master armor

36 minutes ago, Steel Warrior said:

Painted Savage
Yeah, I mean, if you think my character gaining access to enhanement talents as part of the Mystic Tattoo (rage). That's perfectly fine. They only work during the rage part. Currently I would have only 1 enhancement talent at 4th and I won't have another one until 8th. (this was the only thing that was being changed from enhancement to either a combat stamina feat or berserker talent)

 

Now the Rage Powers lets me choose actual rage powers or exchange it for a berserker talent. Which I was curious does that mean I get the talent flat out or does the talent only work during "rage" at the cost of 2 stamina pool.

BTW I do like the idea of the construct plate trait, but I had spent the Conscript specialization to get DR /- to 1/2 my character level, so I now have DR 3/- instead of adamantine.
What was mentioned in your last post. I pretty much have Darkvision and Low-light vision. I then have 1 more I can take (powerful limbs).

 

 If I take the drawback, you suggested the Construct Plate, but in my case, I would pick something else IF I took the drawback. Now, if I want to use the trait I would have to swap out from my Eternal transformation form and switch to the Object Transformation form (all it's features + select one of the options)? I had not thought about taking another alternate form, I was only considering adding to the existing one.
I guess if I did choose the Object Transformation, I had initially had the terminator in mind lol

• Luminescence: The target may choose to shed light from any part of its body, ranging in intensity from a soft glow of a candle (shadowy illumination in a 5-foot radius) to the full brightness of a torch (bright light in a 20-foot radius and shadowy illumination for an additional 20 feet). The target may duplicate any color of light, even creating multiple colors, and may cancel or resume use of this ability as a free action
• OR
• Material Weapons: The target’s unarmed strikes and natural weapons are treated as silver and cold iron for the purpose of bypassing damage reduction. At 10th level this improves to counting as adamantine.

Again sorry, I am probably over thinking things. LOL.

I'm mostly trying to dial in on what you are trying to do with Mystic Tattoo's 4th level ability, I'm not quite ready to give you access to those Enhancement sphere talents yet (though for the most part I don't think it would break anything). I think my confusion around switching it with a berserker sphere talent is that they mostly aren't activated in the same way as enhancement talents. But if what you are trying to do is gain a set berseker talent or combat stamina talent that you only have access to for a limited time (CON rounds or 1 min with 5 stamina) when you use that activation action, I'm okay with that.

The Rage Powers part: the Painted Savage loses the ability to rage, however it still gains rage powers at 2nd, 4th, 6th levels. You can activate a rage power with 2 stamina while using Mystic Tattoos, so the rage power is active but you aren't raging. However, instead of Rage Powers, you can simply gain permanent Berserker talents, which don't require any additional activation. 

For Mutation, what I'm referring to is the first part of the Transformation featBenefit: Choose one (transformation) Alteration sphere talent that does not cost a spell point. If you choose Anthropomorphic Transformation and are humanoid or of a similar makeup, choose another (transformation) or (body) talent to choose traits from for Anthropomorphic Transformation’s effects. (which eternal transformation simply makes permanent). One could choose Animalistic transformation and turn into a bear, or Object transformation and turn into a table, but those don't really work for the game. If you pick Anthropomorphic to still be a humanoid (which most players picking mutation probably should), you pick another (transformation) or (body) talent to select listed traits from, which you do even if you just pick them from Blank Form traits. That's why I suggested Object, but it doesn't matter too much really for what you are planning with your character. Just know you can select from an additional source of traits from one (transformation) or (body) talent if it makes sense to do so.

52 minutes ago, dalamb said:

But All or Nothing gives about 10% chance of significant failure, so I'll have to think hard about whether or not to take it.

Yeah, it definitely has a significant drawback! But this one is lower stakes for failure at least 🙂 - it would be fun to give your character inaccurate information that they are dead sure of on a failure though.

Okay so let's call the new oath Hippocratic Oath 🙂 

It is now a 2 point oath

Oath: You have sworn to do no harm, and so to never to take the life of a living, intelligent person. You cannot inflict lethal damage on a living creature of the Humanoid or Monstrous Humanoid type with any of your abilities, and you cannot directly kill a living creature of these types by any other means (this might include killing it with ability drain or pushing it off a cliff to its death).

It has the same defiance penalty and atonement as the original.

NOTE: The following entries in this post are simply copied from the Character Creation Guidelines thread. I'm copying them here in an expanded version for convenience of access.

Skills

Several skills have been customized or added as follows:

• Fly: Removed from all classes as a class skill (but not from animal companions with a Fly speed).
• Heal: This skill may be used to treat permanent injuries normally requiring Regeneration, as long as the limb hasn't been completely severed. Doing so requires at least one week of regular care, expending one use of a healer's kit each day. At the end of the week, the healer makes a skill check with a DC equal to 25 - the character's Constitution bonus. If successful, the healing process has taken hold and the healer must make an additional check at the end of every week of care, subtracting 2 from the DC each time (plus an additional 1 for every 5 points the previous check exceeded the DC); a failure instead increases the DC by 2. When the DC would be lowered to 10 or less, the injury is healed. If the initial skill check fails or three subsequent checks fail in a row, then the injury cannot be healed until the healer gains more skill ranks in Heal, at which point the process begins from scratch.
• Knowledge (planes): Eliminated. Stories about the afterlife or other planes of existence would be handled by Knowledge (religion).
• Knowledge (religion): Becomes a background skill. Identifying anything resembling undead of the wastes now falls under Knowledge (Wastes). This skill covers knowledge of the various surviving religions, cults, and other zealots.
• Knowledge (engineering): No longer a background skill. Now also used for identifying constructs, including vehicles, robots, and anything else mechanical.
• Linguistics: This skill may be used to puzzle out unfamiliar spoken languages and make yourself understood in simple phrases, with similar DCs as for deciphering written texts. Attempting to make yourself understood in this way in combat incurs a -10 penalty to your check, unless you have the skill unlock for Linguistics and 15 or more ranks.
• Profession (bodyguard or soldier): This skill may be used to identify the martial tradition an enemy possesses (including which base spheres they chose, if there was a choice) after watching them fight for 1 round, in a manner similar to a Knowledge skill check. For every 5 points by which you exceed the DC, you learn another base sphere that they have learned. If the enemy has any sphere-specific drawbacks, you learn them when you learn about the sphere to which they apply.
• Spellcraft: Eliminated.
• Use Magic Device: Eliminated. Replaced with Use Technology. 
• Use Technology: (Int) New. This is the users skill in operating strange pieces of technology from the before (if they can still be operated), like sophisticated electronics and computers. A class skill for any class that gained UMD.
• Drive: (Dex) New. Used for controlling vehicle, and the skill involved with doing so. Now a class skill for any class that gains Ride, Technician, and others upon DM approval. Ranks in Drive replace BAB when making a ramming/melee attack while driving a vehicle.
• Knowledge (Nobility): Replaced with Knowledge (Leaders), but covers roughly the same territory. You have knowledge of regional Warlords, Tribal territories, and other holder of power.
• Knowledge (Arcana): Replaced with Knowledge (Wastes), covers legends, myths, and anything to do with beings that arose from the Apocalypse. Monsters, Kaiju, infected (undead), etc.

Monster Lore Skills and Categorization

With the changes in knowledge skills, use the following for identification of creature types.

• Wastes: Kaiju, monsters (magic beasts fall under this category), infected (undead)
• Dungeoneering: Aberrations, oozes
• Engineering: Constructs
• Local: Humanoids
• Nature: Animals (including mutated beasts), monstrous humanoids, plants, vermin

Feats

Feat Tax Reduction Rules

• Martial Mastery: Gone. Combat feats like Weapon Focus now apply to weapon groups instead of a specific weapon by default.
• Weapon Finesse: All characters are considered to have the 1x version of the Finesse Fighting combat talent.
• Agile Maneuvers: Gone. A character may add their dexterity to the CMB if they’re wielding a light or finesse weapon and their strength otherwise.
• Combat Expertise: Gone. Now simple a combat option for any class with at least +1 BAB.
• Power Attack: Gone. Now simple a combat option for any class with at least +1 BAB.
• Deadly Aim: Gone. Now simple a combat option for any class with at least +1 BAB.
• Piranha Strike: Gone. Now simple a combat option for any class with at least +1 BAB.
• Improved Trip/Disarm/Dirty Trick/Feint/Reposition/Steal: GONE. Replaced with Deft Maneuvers.
• Deft Maneuvers: New. You do not provoke an attack of opportunity when performing a trip, disarm, dirty trick, feint, reposition, or steal combat maneuver. In addition, you receive a +2 bonus on checks with these combat maneuvers. Now a prerequisite for the relevant greater combat maneuver feats.
• Improved Bull Rush/Drag/Reposition/Overrun/Sunder: Gone. Replaced with Powerful Maneuvers.
• Powerful Maneuvers: New. You do not provoke an attack of opportunity when performing a bull rush, drag, reposition, overrun, or sunder combat maneuver. In addition, you receive a +2 bonus on checks with these combat maneuvers. Now a prerequisite for the relevant greater combat maneuver feats. Note: Yes Reposition has been added here, and also in Deft Maneuvers. It feels like an agility thing, but considering the Brute Sphere always refers to Bull Rush, Drag, Reposition, and Overrun, it only makes sense to include it in a single feat. The bonus from this feat does not stack with Deft Maneuvers.
• Point-Blank Shot: Gone. Precise Shot replaces it as a prerequisite for further archery feats. Barrage sphere covers the absence of this anyway.
• Mobility: Gone. Merged with Dodge.
• Dodge: Revised. You gain a +1 dodge bonus to your AC. This bonus increases to +4 against attacks of opportunity caused when you move out of or within a threatened tile. A condition that makes you lose your Dex bonus to AC also makes you lose the benefits of this feat.
• Improved Two-Weapon Fighting: Gone. Merged with Greater Two-Weapon Fighting
• Greater Two-Weapon Fighting: Revised. Prerequisites now Dex 17, Two-Weapon Fighting, BAB +6. In addition to the standard single extra attack you get with an off-hand weapon, you get a second attack with it, albeit at a –5 penalty. Once your BAB reaches +11, you also gain a third attack with your off-hand weapon, albeit at a –10 penalty.
• Improved Unarmed Combat/Improved Grapple: Now combined into the new feat, Unarmed Combatant.
• Unarmed Combatant: You are considered to be armed even when unarmed—you do not provoke attacks of opportunity when you attack foes while unarmed. Your unarmed strikes can deal lethal or nonlethal damage, at your choice.
  You do not provoke an attack of opportunity when performing a grapple combat maneuver. In addition, you receive a +2 bonus on checks made to grapple a foe. You also receive a +2 bonus to your Combat Maneuver Defense whenever an opponent tries to grapple you.

New Feats

Mutation

You have been mutated by exposure to something wrong in the wastes.

Benefit: You gain the Eternal Transformation feat, along with the Improved Transformation Feat (which gets you a single trait at this level from your transformation form). You gain access to the following additional feat options.

Greater Mutation: (Requires Mutation.) You gain the Alteration Sphere and may select Alteration Sphere Talents as Combat Talents, but only for the purpose of selecting traits for your transformation form. You do not gain the base Shapeshift ability of the alteration sphere. Some talents will be deemed inappropriate for the campaign, so seek DM approval for traits you select. For instance, you may not gain a fly speed by any means (elemental or wings). You may not select any of the current Sphere Specific Drawbacks for the Alteration Sphere, but you may select from the following new drawbacks, from which you gain an extra Alteration Talent:

• Obvious Mutant: Your altered form is obvious, and many find it grotesque. You have a -5 penalty on all disguise checks, and have a -2 penalty to Diplomacy, Bluff checks against most denizens of the waste, except those with mutant sympathies (at DM discretion).
• Awkward form: The mutations to your body make you ungainly. You may not benefit from Unarmored Training, receive 1 less to features like AC Bonus or Prescient Dodger, and have a -1 penalty to attack rolls with weapons other than Natural Attacks.
• Vulnerability: You become vulnerable to one of the following damage/energy types, and may not gain inherent resistance or DR to it: fire, acid, electricity, sonic, slashing, piercing, bludgeoning.

Favored Form: (Requires Greater Mutation) You may also select the Favored Form alteration feat, applying its benefits to a form you selected with your transformation feat (so, 1 extra trait).

Combat Momentum
You push the pace.
Prerequisites: Combat Stamina.
Benefit: Choose one (momentum) talent from the War sphere. You learn that talent and may use it as an extraordinary ability by substituting 2 stamina points for each required momentum point. Animal allies (companions, tame animals, etc.) cohorts, and followers may use this talent if within 30 ft. of you, but other allies may not.
Special: You may take this feat multiple times, gaining a new (momentum) talent each time.

Fate's Plan
You are able to temporarily avoid the worst, drawing on your belief in your own destiny.
Prerequisites: Combat Stamina, Fated Birth oath boon (see post above).
Benefit: You may spend 5 points of stamina as an immediate action to discharge your motif, gaining the normal benefits for doing so. Your motif is dispelled but returns as if cast again after you have rested for at least 8 hours.
Normal: You cannot discharge the benefit of the Fated Birth boon.

Slippery Customer
You can wriggle out of anything.
Prerequisites: Combat Stamina, Escape Artist 1 rank.
Benefit: As a swift action, you may spend 5 points of stamina to gain the benefits of Freedom of Movement until the end of your next turn. Once activated, you may spend an additional 2 stamina as a free action each round to extend this effect to the end of your following turn without interruption. This is an extraordinary effect.

Masterwork Equipment:

Without magic weapons and the benefits they provide (though you will still be able to give enhancement bonuses to weapons through oath boons), we will be using expanded rules for masterwork weapons. See below for details.

• The regular +1 bonus provided by masterwork weapons is now considered a circumstance bonus, as with other masterwork equipment. It therefore stacks with the enhancement bonuses provided by Oath Boons.

• There are now several ranks of masterwork armor, weapons and tools, including several special abilities. As with magic weapons, adding multiple abilities increases the total price.

• You do not need to add the basic to-hit bonus if you don't want to (that is, you can buy a Serrated (+1) weapon for 300 gp without making it Balanced first).

• In all cases, the masterwork value is the amount that you paid for that specific ability, not the total amount of the weapon. So a sword that is Balanced +2/Serrated +1 adds 2 to attack and 1 to damage, not 3 to each. It would still be priced as a +3 weapon, however.

• The cost for ammunition is 1/5th the base price for 10 plus the cost of the ammo itself, i.e. 61 gp for 10 Keen (+1) arrows. You can't buy less than 10 of a given masterwork quality.

• Legendary weapons and armor are not available to start with; the forging techniques necessary have been lost to history and can only be discovered during play. I'm including them here for completeness. Legendary tools are available at the price listed.

 Special Materials

Armor and weapons may be made of any of the following special materials: adamantine, alchemical silver, bone, bronze, cold iron, darkleaf cloth, darkwood, fire-forged steel, frost-forged steel, glass, gold, horacalcum, mithral, obsidian, silversheen, stone, sunsilk. Much of it would be re-fluffed to fit the setting accordingly.

New Oath Boons

Fated Birth (1 point): Your birth held astrological significance and has influenced your life in subtle ways ever since. Choose one basic (non-advanced) motif from the Fate magical sphere. You are under the effects of that motif permanently as an Extraordinary effect, using your character level as your caster level. You cannot discharge this effect. If the chosen motif has an effect that changes or replenishes when cast, consider it to be cast again whenever you rest for 8 hours or more.

One with the Machine (1 point): You gain a +2 circumstance bonus to Drive checks, and any vehicle you are operating gains a +1 resistance bonus to its saving throws and +1 enhancement bonus to its natural armor at 3rd level, both increasing by +1 every 3 levels thereafter (to a maximum of +5 at 15th level).

Incredible Metabolism (1 point): You gain the Endurance feat as a bonus feat. You may add your Endurance bonus to saving throws against poison and disease. You require only half as much food or water as normal for your size, and can be fully rested with only 4 hours of sleep.

Keen Senses (1 point): You gain low-light vision. You double the distance you are able to see in fog, mist, smoke, etc. (usually from 5 ft. to 10 ft.). You gain Perception as a class skill, and if you have 5 or more ranks in it, you gain its skill unlock.

Quick Recovery (2 points): You remove nonlethal damage equal to your character level each round. Whenever you are healed hit points by an alchemical item or an application of the Heal skill, you regain additional hit points equal to your character level, up to a maximum of twice the amount healed.

Wild Machines

Before the world broke, several enterprises were deeply engaged in bringing automated vehicles and mechanical helpers to the masses. Some of these companies, attempting to capitalize on people's love of their pets, programmed their algorithms to display certain qualities and behaviors similar to different animals.

All these decades later, some of the AI chips in these automated machines survive. They were originally programmed for certain degrees of facial and voice recognition, autopilot modes and the ability to complete tasks with autonomy, and even a degree of adaptable intelligence. Dozens of lawsuits were pending over the results of this experimental intelligence at the time of the Collision. The machines that made it through the apocalypse have, in most cases, remained dormant. These, once activated, can be interfaced with a re-synced to respond to new owners. Some have actually learned new patterns of behavior, and are occasionally encountered in the wild fully operational, going about fulfilling whatever goals their machine learning algorithms have decided best fulfill their objectives. Sometimes these are a nuisance, and sometimes they are able to be tamed and utilized by new controllers.

All sorts of mechanical oddities can be found in the wastes, many of which seem to have a mind of their own. They exhibit animal-like intelligence. For the purposes of the Beastmaster Sphere or class features that gain you an animal companion, you may re-fluff that animal to be a machine. It doesn't actually need to look like a robot animal, in fact it probably doesn't. It might be a motorcycle, a buggy, a drone, or a roomba. Either way, you still pick an animal from an appropriate list, and treat it like an animal for the purposes of the sphere. Please check with me for this selection.

If you do so, you may use ranks in Craft (mechanical) or Knowledge (engineering) in place of his base attack bonus when determining your effective druid level for the Animal Companion talent (at -3 as normal) or arcane caster level for the Pet talent. It is now a Tamed Machine, and uses the appropriate animal companion or familiar’s base statistics and is otherwise treated as a normal animal companion or familiar, with the following exceptions:

Type: A construct pet’s type changes to construct and gains all the immunities and properties of the construct type (except immunity to mind-affecting effects).

• Properties: The construct pet retains its Intelligence score (and skill points) and its base attack bonus and saving throws are unchanged, possessing a lower base attack bonus but higher saving throws than a normal construct of its Hit Dice. A construct pet has no Constitution score. Construct animal companions gain bonus hit points appropriate for a construct of its size. Construct familiars determine their statistics normally for a familiar, using their master’s statistics where appropriate after applying these changes. A construct pet cannot be awakened and cannot be modified as a normal construct can.
• Repair: A Tamed Machine does not heal on its own. However, as long as you have access to an Artisan's Toolkit or Engineering Kit, you may work to slowly repair the construct. You may spend an hour performing maintenance and then leave it inoperative in self repair mode. For every 8 hours it spends in this mode, it gains back 1 hit point per HD. You may more quickly repair a Tamed Machine using a Craft (Mechanical) with a DC of 15 plus the HD of the construct, and spending 100gp in materials per HD. This repairs 1d6 hit points per HD, and takes 8 hours of work.
• Still An Animal: Your tamed machine is treated as an animal ally for the Beastmastery sphere, despite it being a construct, and the technician can use the Handle Animal skill on their construct pet normally for all purposes. When handling his construct pet, the technician may use his bonus in Craft (mechanical) or Knowledge (engineering) instead of his bonus in Handle Animal.
• Drive It or Ride It: When you gain the Ride package of the Beastmastery sphere, you may instead gain ranks in Drive and may use the Drive skill in place of Ride wherever mentioned in this base talent or when using (ride) talents, when dealing with a tamed machine. (If you make this substitution, if you take the extra beastmastery package you may still select Ride and gain ride as normal)
• Unnatural Weapons: Any natural weapons your substituted animal possesses still exist, and are simply re-fluffed as mechanical analogues, and are reflected in you utilizing the vehicle/machine in such a way as to physically attack your target with it. Gore becomes a spike, claws become razor edges, hoofs become wheel attacks, etc. Substitutions may be made at DM discretion.

The Crew

The Crew is an entity in its own right, made up of whatever PCs (and potentially NPCs) constitute the crew members. Accepted players will come up with the name of your gang once the crew is set. The Crew gains class features, feats, and collective combat talents as a level 10 Technician (I've wrapped in the Suit Pilot archetype with some customizations to make it make sense and be balanced with a tank). This special collective class is as follows.

Technician Tank Crew

HD, Saves, Skill ranks: N/A - The Tank has its own HD as an independent invention, while members of the crew use their own BAB and Saves, and make their own skill rolls. Neither does the Crew have ability scores or modifiers.

BAB: 7 (only for the purpose of combat talents)

Class Skills: Knowledge (Engineering) and Drive are always class skills for members of The Crew

Proficiencies: The Tank Crew is proficient with Siege Weapons, as well as simple weapons, light armor and bucklers. The crew gains a martial tradition.

Combat Training

The Crew may combine combat spheres and talents to create powerful martial techniques. The Crew is considered an Adept combatant and uses Intelligence as its practitioner modifier. Since the Crew has no actual intelligence score, when relevant to class features and talents, it is considered to have an Int modifier and PAM of half its level (so currently 5)

Stronger Together

When operating the Tank, members of the Crew (the PCs) may use the features and talents of the Crew when interfacing with the Tank, or when interfacing with the Crew while members are operating the Tank. They may use gadgets, they may create or modify inventions, they can use the sniper sphere talents when firing the gun, etc. In some circumstances they may also use the saves of the Tank if doing so makes sense.

In addition, the Tank Crew has a Martial Focus. Members of the Crew may use the Crew's Martial Focus when operating the tank, or they may use their own Martial Focus. They may not use the Crew's Martial Focus when taking their own independent action (i.e. standing on top of the tank and making an attack roll against a creature trying to get in). Actions they take which restore Martial Focus may also be used to restore the Crew's Martial Focus while operating it, if applicable in some way (subject to DM discretion).

The Sum of Its Parts

When operating the Tank, members of the Crew still use their own BAB, Abilities, Skills, Saves, and so on. They use their own actions to operate the tank, or utilize positions on the tank. Members of the Crew may apply their own talents and feats to the operation of the Tank if relevant.

Gadgets (ex)

The Tank Crew has become experts at quickly assembling and using items in service of the Tank. These items, called gadgets, are built out of components the crew has prepared in their spare time out of commonly-found items; so long as the crew has access to the storage compartment, they are assumed to have access to all the parts he needs to build their gadgets, and to have already prepared components beforehand to quickly create whatever gadget they need.

Creating and activating a gadget is a standard action, but may be reduced to a move action by expending martial focus.

A technician can create a total number of gadgets in a day equal to 1/2 his technician level + his Intelligence modifier (so currently 10 daily gadgets). If a gadget calls for a saving throw, that saving throw’s DC is equal to 10 + 1/2 his technician level + his Intelligence modifier (DC20). A gadget must be used the round it is created, or fall apart back into its component parts, which does not expend the gadget.

Improvised Tools: By expending one use of his gadgets, the technician can make any skill check that requires having tools and requires less than 1 hour to make as if he possessed the necessary tools. The technician does not suffer the usual penalties for using improvised tools. If the technician already possesses the necessary tools, the technician can expend a gadget to treat those tools as masterwork for one skill check. The technician can create improvised tools that function as masterwork tools for one skill check, but doing so expends 2 gadgets.

Constructed Weapons: The technician can expend a gadget to allow an improvised weapon to function as a simple melee weapon of his choice for 1 minute.

Detonator: The technician may create a gadget that explodes in 1 round, at the end of his turn. As part of the standard action used to create this detonator, he may throw the detonator (with a range increment of 10 ft.), place it, or hide it in a space within his natural reach. After one round (at the end of his turn), the detonator explodes, dealing 1d6 damage per technician level to everything within 5 ft. of the square in which the detonator sits, half fire damage and half bludgeoning/piercing/slashing damage. Targets within this area may make a Reflex save for half damage.

A detonator counts as a trap from the Trap sphere for the purpose of determining its hardness, armor class, hit points, Disable Device DC, and its Perception DC if hidden, as well as for things such as the Opportunist or Trapper’s Recovery talents. A detonator cannot be placed in the same space as a trap, or another detonator.

If a detonator is destroyed (including by another detonator), it does not explode. If two detonators explode at the exact same time, creatures in the overlapped area suffer diminished results from every detonator but 1, suffering instead 1d6, +1d6 per 5 technician levels for each overlapping detonator after the first.

Hook and Pulley: The technician may create a gadget that allows him to manipulate objects from a distance. This gadget counts as a thrown weapon with a range increment of 20 ft. Make a ranged touch attack against an unattended object that he could hold in one hand. If successful, he may move that object to his hand as a free action. Targets whose natural reach includes the path that object must take (i.e., are within the line of effect) can make a Reflex save as an immediate action to attempt to grab the object as it flies by.

Alternately, the technician may use this gadget to attempt a drag, trip, disarm, or steal combat maneuver at a distance. Performing a maneuver from a distance in this fashion does not provoke an attack of opportunity (except as normal when making a ranged attack), but requires the technician to succeed on a ranged touch attack against the target first before the maneuver may be attempted.

Launcher: The technician can create a gadget to allow him to throw an object. The object can travel 10 ft. + 5 ft. per technician level before the technician begins adding range penalties or calculating its maximum range.

This gadget can be used at the same time as another gadget to hurl that first gadget a greater distance. This expends a gadget for the launcher as well as for the hurled gadget. The technician cannot attach more than one launcher to a device or object.

Inventions

Every technician knows how to create custom items, called inventions. Inventions could be anything from a simple improved crossbow, to a powerful and complex machine that to the uneducated appears to be magic. Inventions are finicky, improvised things that require constant tinkering and fixing, and there is a limit to how many a technician can maintain at any one time. A technician can have and maintain a maximum of 1 invention at 1st level, plus an additional invention at 3rd level and every 4 levels thereafter. If the technician has already reached this limit and wishes to create a new invention, he must select one of his existing inventions to dismantle. Whenever an invention includes an ability that calls for a saving throw, the DC equals 10 + 1/2 the technician’s class level + the technician’s Intelligence modifier.

Some inventions have prerequisites, which must be met before the invention can be created. These prerequisites might be items, a cost in gp for specialty parts, or feats and skill ranks the technician must possess. A technician may create any invention which he meets the necessary prerequisites to create.

Creating an invention takes 8 hours of work. The work need not be consecutive, and the technician can do this work while out adventuring, but in that situation he can only devote 4 hours each day to item creation, and only nets 2 hours’ worth of work due to being in a distracting environment. The time required to create an invention may be reduced by 1 hour for each member of the crew that dedicates all their time to creating that invention. Once the invention has been created, altering its improvements requires only 1 hour of work.

• Each member of the Crew is considered to be the Technician for purposes of operating inventions. That means they never suffer penalties for using inventions that others normally do.

Technically Minded (modified)

At 2nd level, the Crew gains a bonus to all Knowledge (engineering) checks equal to 1/2 their technician level, and takes half the usual time when using the Craft skill to repair an object.

Technical Insight (5+1)

At 2nd level and every 2 levels thereafter, the technician gains additional insights that expand his knowledge and capacity. He may choose one of the technical insights below. Unless otherwise noted, a technical insight may only be selected once.

INSIGHTS

• Greater Craftsman

• Aesthetic Insight

• Chemical Insight

• Inventor's Insight

• Steampower Insight

• Mechanical Insight (free)

Dedicated Tankers archetype

(Modifies Technician Tank Crew, similar to Suit Pilot) A dedicated tanker seeks to build and operate a tank that make allows them to dominate the battlefield.

Mechanical Masters: The dedicated tanker gains mechanical insight as a bonus insight at 1st level.

This replaces trap specialist.

Tank Mechanics: Whenever the dedicated tanker creates an independent invention, it gains a number of bonus hit points equal to his technician level. Whenever giving the vehicle improvement to an independent invention, he may grant that independent invention an extra improvement. At 10th level, he may grant the independent invention 2 extra improvements. At 20th level, he may grant it 3 extra improvements.

(Vehicle gets 2 extra improvements)

This replaces, trapfinding, danger sense, and true genius.

Ballistic Armor (Ex): At 3rd level, any independent invention the Dedicated Tanker creates applies its armor bonus and natural armor bonus to touch AC against all projectile weapons.

This replaces trap insight, trapmaster, greater trapmaster, supreme trapmaster, and perfect trapmaster

Battle Stations

The Dedicated Tankers gain a series of special actions they can use while operating their independent invention, based on what position they are occupying. Those will be described in detail at the end of this entry.

Crew Feats, Talents, Inventions

The crew has four collective talents from their martial tradition, and an additional 7 from adept practitioner progression. The crew gains feats as a standard (not gestalt) character, and has 5 feats. I have pre-selected the feats and talents, however they are up for negotiation once the crew is selected.

Feats

• Vital Strike (Double weapon damage on attack action)
• Siege Engineer (Proficient with all Siege Weapons)
• Siege Gunner (Eliminate size penalty for direct-fire siege weapons)
• Heroic Resolve (Expend MF, Suppress conditions as move action)
• Extra Combat Talent: Force Redirection Technique (Str bonus to Dex AC)

Combat Talents

• Sniper Sphere
  • Push Shot (snipe) (Make bullrush attempt with Deadly Shot)
  • Targeted Assault (DR/Hardness reduced by 1/2 BAB)
  • Fragmenting Shot (Reduce to 0 = splash damage)
• Warleader Sphere

  • Synchronized Strikes (Ignore hardness/DR on next attack by ally on creature)

• Brute Sphere

  • Smash Hammer (Knocking enemy into something damages both)

• Scout Sphere

  • Advisory Scout (Standard action, give team scout benefits for short time)

  • Find Gap (Reduce enemy AC upon successful scout)

Inventions

1. Independent Invention, which gains 5 total Improvements. Base invention is Gargantuan Vehicle

   • Additional Capacity: Siege Engine (cannon)

   • Covered

   • Metal Parts

   • Metal Parts x2

   • Improved Weapon: Cannon. Gains Speed Lever (using Inventor's Insight)

2. Grand Gadget

   • Machine Gun x3 (12 uses per day)

3. Grand Gadget

   • Permanent Gadget: Launcher

   • Permanent Gadget: Hook and Pully

   • Weaponized: May mount a weapon, PCs to provide (Free LMG given, with 100 ammo)

25 minutes ago, Steel Warrior said:

Mutation Feats

I took both the Mutation feat and Greater Mutation.

2 for sure? 3 if I take a drawback?
I am kinda making a theme build to fit my character's build. So I am trying to take certain things that would actually fit from a "mechanical" point of view lol.

At the moment, the only two talents I chose were Low-light vision and Darkvision,  I was thinking of taking a drawback vulnerability (sonic) for the limbs, but haven't decided just yet.
Thanks for clarification on the Greater Change talent, I was thinking it also applied to blank transformation.

Right, so with Mutation, you would select Anthropomorphic (transformation) as what you transform into, and that lets you pick two traits as non-traits from Blank Form options, so you got Darkvision and Low-Light vision from that. You have 1 trait remaining (the Improved Transformation part). And since you took Greater Mutation, you can take that drawback and find the appropriate talent to draw from (i.e. powerful limbs). With Anthropomorphic, you select another (transformation) or (body) feat to draw traits from, so instead of low light vision, you could always select, say, Object Transformation as that other option (staying on theme here as mechanical) for the construct plating trait.

33 minutes ago, Steel Warrior said:

Painted Savage
In regards to the Mystic Tattoos and the suggestion on taking berserker talents in place of the enhancement sphere talents, was to move away from the magic of the enhancement sphere. My initial thought was it would work like the Brawler's Martial Flexibility. But in this instance gain access to Talents under the Berserker Sphere and or Combat Stamina feats.

 

Enduring Temper: At 1st level, a painted savage gains Berserker as a bonus sphere and Combat Stamina as a bonus feat

and
Rage Powers (Ex): A painted savage may spend 2 stamina points from her stamina pool when under the effect of mystical tattoos. This allows the painted savage to be treated as if under the effects of a rage, though she gains none of the other benefits or drawbacks of raging. This effect lasts for the remaining duration of the mystical tattoos effect. New instances of mystical tattoos will require additional stamina to be spent. Rage powers, that require additional rage rounds, may instead use 5 points from her stamina pool per required rage round. In addition, whenever, the painted savage would gain a rage power from her class levels, she may instead gain a bonus talent from the Berserker sphere.
 

Now, the last part of the Rage Powers (Ex), it says I may instead gain a bonus talent from the Berserker Sphere in place of a Rage Power. I am interpreting that as I get the talent, it's always active, not just when I am raging (using mystic tattoos).

I see. The way you worded the changes, it specifically stated "She may utilize mystic tattoos to use any Combat stamina or (berserker) talent she knows as a swift action."  which isn't really giving you that flexibility, it's just letting you use ones you already know. The feature in painted savage is there to basically let you use those Enhancement talents as part of a rage-like state without having to spend spell points on them. They aren't quite equivalent to berserker talents.

There actually is a conscript specialization that is more in line with what you are looking for, in fact called the same thing: Martial Flexibility

Is what you are trying to do with that 4th level Mystic Tattoos ability actually activating a combat stamina feat without paying stamina? 

50 minutes ago, Steel Warrior said:

Legendary Talents
I was thinking of having 2 separate firearms, Long range with a couple sniper talents and then the machine gun.
I found it kinda fitting that Cone of Death, Death Blossom  would apply to the fully automatic machine gun. I'm waving my machine gun from side to side, instead of a straight line. Death Blossom, I was picturing firing bullets up in the air and the bullets raining down all around me. Although technically not really plausible given that it would probably take a couple rounds for them to come back down lol

Cinematic movies, you always see people with machine guns just spraying bullets everywhere, like a person is running inside a building with thin walls, and the person outside with the machine gun is trying to shoot them through the wall in the direction the person is running. Or the guy with the Gatling gun in the Predator movie he's not aiming in a straight line. Although technically the Predator is completely camoflauged/invisible.

Six seconds is a pretty long time to fire off a burst of bullets, so it's very easy to make a cone or strafe with it.

Here's a thought. Cone of Death/Death Blossom deals half-damage if using it with a fully automatic weapon to every target in it's cone/area of affect. Since the bullets are being spread thinner.

Yup, that makes sense, just making sure you were aware of the rules around that. Again, those are all approved, they do fit. And no need to modify. I was mostly pointing out that there is built-in functionality to automatic weapons (Suppressing Fire) that will let you spray bullets in a cone or in a circular area attempting to hit all enemies, they just have different conditions. Cone of Death and Death Blossom are (potentially) better ways to do it, they just cost you talents. And I'm not so sure about that arcing thing, lol, it would simply do to turn in a full circle spraying lead, and .... hmm, I was about to type out that you avoid your allies, but upon closer inspection Cone of Death states you attack "every creature within range" so you better take care to avoid your allies with these abilities 😈

3 hours ago, PigLickJF said:

I really need to start finding pics first, then developing my characters around them, because I always seems to come up with odd concepts then can't find a good picture, lol. I think at this point I've spent as much time browsing pictures as I have building my character. 😆

Haha, I hear that. The perfect picture can really add a lot of characterization. When I am working the other way like you describe, matching a pic to a unique character concept, I often aim for more or a portrait/close-up picture, and let descriptions and imagination fill in the rest.

9 hours ago, dalamb said:

1. Are you willing to waive the "secret class feature" requirement of Extra Secret? I would very much like to take Extra Secret: Amateur Hedgewitch (spiritualism) for the path benefit "roll twice for knowledge checks" and possiblyThere presumably won't be any magical traps, but the bonus to find mundane traps, and to disable device, could be useful... (tinker) for trapfinding. One of my character's intended roles is Scout, so knowledge skills are very useful.
2. Would you be willing to allow Barrage legendary talent Ceaseless Ammo (Su)? This would make accounting for bullets a lot easier; it could be refluffed as "always has another clip lying around" instead of "always can recover at least 10 pieces of ammo after combat is over."
3. Would you be willing to allow a modification of Legendary Scout talent Detect Surface Thoughts? As written it's surely supernatural, but could be reinterpreted as a more powerful version the skill some interrogators have of "face reading" - asking questions and knowing whether the person is lying and what emotions they are feeling (deceitful, ashamed, etc)?

1. I'm very hesitant to open up extra class feature feats for general use, without an existing path to those in your class. That means I'll need to address all possibilities of extra _ without one of your classes otherwise having access. For trapfinding, you can get that through the Trap Sphere: Trap Finder. For rolling twice on knowledge, consider using the scout sphere and selecting Perception with the All or Nothing origin talent. Or dip into classes that do knowledge well, i.e. scholar, investigator. There might be other methods I'm not aware of.

2. No on Ceaseless Ammo. While I'm not going to be super hard-core around resource management, ammunition isn't such an abundant resource in the wastes that it can be hand-waved away, and some functions around the firearms rules for this campaign depend on managing your ammo. 

3. Yes on Detect Surface Thoughts, and it is available without any mechanical changes. Just as you described, you are basically an expert at reading micro-expressions, body language, etc. to an extraordinary degree. You won't be literally hearing their thoughts, but you get very accurate ideas of the kinds of thoughts they are having, emotions, and the like.

10 hours ago, Steel Warrior said:

If the GM permits it with the powerful limbs. or a Large Light Machine gun, which technically is the same damage with shorter range.

* HMG can only be fired mounted on a vehicle or emplacement
Aaahh.. 4000 gold even for a light machine gun.. so making it large would be not be possible especially with no pre-game crafting permitted.

Yeah, if you buy into larger limbs you can use bigger weapons. And yeah, some of those weapons are unavailable or push your fund limits at the beginning of the game. But there will be opportunity for crafting/buying/looting, so you'd likely get a chance to upgrade in the ways you want as play progresses.

10 hours ago, Steel Warrior said:

I was looking at taking the Unchained Barbarian Painted Savage Archetype.

Can we change up the Mystical Tattoos (Sp) to Mystical Tattoos (Ex) and replace enhancement talents with either combat stamina feats or berserker talents that only function when I use my stamina pool.

Example: At 4th level, and every 4 levels thereafter, the painted savage gains one Combat stamina feat or a (berserker) talent from the Berserker sphere as a bonus talent. She may utilize mystic tattoos to use any Combat stamina or (berserker) talent she knows as a swift action. When using mystic tattoos in this way, she may only target her own body or tattoos she possesses and their effects last for only a number of rounds equal to the painted savage’s Constitution modifier, or for 1 minute if the painted savage spends 5 points from her stamina pool when activating the ability. The effective caster level of (beserker) talents or abilities used this way is equal to her painted savage level, this does not stack with class levels from other sources. The save DC for (berserker) talents used this way is 10 + 1/2 her painted savage level + her Constitution modifier.

I would like to take the legendary talents Cone of Death, Death Blossom and Fragmenting Shot

Okay, so I don't see a problem with what you propose here, per se. I wonder if there is another path into what you're trying to do with this rather than rewriting a rule. Also, I can see the benefit of taking some combat stamina feats with mystical tattoos, but taking berserker talents is more of an odd fit. Are you thinking you'd use adrenalin talents in this way and that they'd stack with berserking/adrenalin abilities you already use with Berserker as a free action? 

Those legendary talents are all approve, they fit. I encourage you to take a close look at the firearm rules for automatic fire, since you can achieve wide range of fire through that (albeit a little differently, and one effect improves a bit with Cone of Death). Also the machine guns are automatic fire only, and the default automatic burst is a special attack action (and the other modes aren't attack actions). Fragmenting Shot only operates off of a Deadly Shot from the sniper sphere, which is also a Special Attack Action, and you can't combine two effects that are both special attack actions. That means you basically can't use Fragmenting Shot with fully automatic fire. And I'm going to uphold that. It's meant as a sniper thing. You can still take it and use it with other weapons.

11 hours ago, Steel Warrior said:

Clarification on the Mutant Feat line.
Per Mutation: You get Eternal Transformation feat and Improved Transformation Feat.

Now Improved Transformation feat says you get 1 talent for every 5 character levels, minimum 1, the feat requires 5th level.
In this case, are we getting Improved Transformation at 1st when we pick our mutation?, Meaning I get a talent at 1st and 6th?

Next, Greater Mutation gives players the Alteration Sphere which allows players to use combat traits for Alteration talents.
Per the Alteration Sphere rules. You can have base 1, +1 trait per 5 caster levels cap. (with ways to work around that)

If we take a drawback (like vulnerability) and I already have 2 traits, does the bonus trait from the drawback give me a 3rd trait that stacks with the two I already have?
 

Finally Favored Form, that's self explanatory, I spend a feat I increase the cap by 1 and get to pick a talent.

 

In regards to the Alteration talent Greater Changes it says: Increase the number of traits you may apply with your shapeshift by 1.
Since it doesn't say I can take it more than once, but doing this means I have to spend 1 talent for Greater Changes, and 1 talent for the alteration talent I want to add. So my question is, can I choose to take Greater Changes more than once?

With Improved Transformation, you basically get 1 trait at level 1-9. You don't get the second trait from it until level 10.

Greater Mutation gives you alteration only for the purposes of having available talents/traits to apply to your transformation. You don't get the shape-shift effect, so ignore any rules from that. 

If you take a drawback (or spend a combat talent slot), that gains you an extra talent. Gaining a talent gets you access to other traits, but doesn't grant any further traits on its own. Since you don't have the shapeshift ability, instead gaining the new form through the Eternal Transformation feat, talents like Greater Changes don't apply. 

Favored form is indeed self explanatory, you get to apply 1 extra trait. It doesn't have you pick an extra talent, it just raises the trait cap by 1.

I know, the whole Tranformation thing can be confusing.

Here is how it should work. You spend 1 feat on Mutation. For your Eternal Transformation form you are most likely picking Anthropomorphic Transformation (most of the others are a little too far out there, and also make it so you don't have arms or whatever. I didn't explicitly ban them because I wanted to leave the door open for a player to also spend a feat on Hybrid Transformation if they wish, but many options here we'd have to really discuss). Since you are already an intelligent humanoid, Anthropomorphic lets you select another (body) or (transformation) talent, and apply two traits listed under that talent which don't count as traits (don't apply against your cap). Let's say you want to be an amphibious mutant, so you chose Aquan Transformation and apply Amphibious and Keen Scent to your form. The Improved Transformation part allows you 1 additional trait. If you only have Mutation, you are selecting that trait from Aquan Transformation or Blank Transformation because you don't have any other talents at this point. I wanted to add a little more flexibility in mutation though.

You want a different kind of trait, so you spend another feat on Greater Mutation. This gives you an option. Spend one of your combat talents or take a drawback to gain an additional talent containing the trait you want. Let's say you take the vulnerability drawback so you can take Powerful Limbs, and you can apply the Powerful Arms trait as that Improved Transformation trait. You could take another drawback at this point to get an extra talent, however you don't have any more available trait slots. You would at level 10 though.

You can then take Favored Form for that extra trait slot. You can select another from your Aquan set, Blank form set, or Powerful Limbs set, or take another drawback or spend a combat talent on another alteration talent, gaining access to other traits.

With base Mutation, you are getting two traits as non-traits (if you select Anthropomorphic) from a limited list. With Greater Mutation you are getting an extra trait. With Favored Form you get another. 1 feat for 2 traits, 2 for 3, or 3 for 4. 

11 hours ago, Steel Warrior said:

Also, looking over the EITR rules in the thread, do you prefer we use the updated 2021 pdf vs the original

An example is that they did not remove Point Blank Shot, now requires Precise Shot and Precise shot is now the requirement for many other ranged feats.

Just use the the rules as I posted in the Character Creation Guidelines thread. I made some changes from EITR rules, but most of what is in the blog post applies, I'm not using the PDF version.

2 hours ago, Steel Warrior said:

I noticed mention of a player using a larger size. Unlike Racebuilder it doesn't mention any physical attribute changes in the Origin creation page about any stat changes. Is that intended?
I know in Racebuilder you become large get +2 Str, -2 Dex.
Second question regarding this is, if I take the Mutant feats, and go with the larger size Origin. Can I look into taking this racial feat? Serpentine Compression? It would be kinda fun to become smaller and fit into the tank with the other players and be like.. How did he fit in there?

I can only assume it is intended. You're talking about the Tremendous talent, right? That one actually specifies even if you take it twice and become large, your ability scores and natural armor don't change (as would be usual for changing size). I'm going to go with it as is in the origin sphere and see how it plays out. You may take the Serpentine Compression, yes, since racial restrictions are removed. Particularly if you are a mutant.

6 minutes ago, PigLickJF said:

Forgive me if this has been covered somewhere, but I looked around and don't see it...

 

The Gunslinger gets proficiency in "all firearms." Is that still the case in this game, including heavy firearms?

 

Looking forward to seeing the Tank Code, I was considering something similar.

It was asked, but probably buried somewhere on the previous pages. It does not include Heavy Weapon firearms. But includes all others.